Looking for some advice....although I purchase and try to play a number of RPG games, I am no expert and often not the best at them. But my daughter is a gamer as well and thinking she might enjoy them, but not sure. Her main games that she plays are things like Minecraft, Sims, Escapist, etc...so thinking maybe she might enjoy an RPG type of game that gives her more of a challenge and has some tougher goals to complete. I think she would like creating characters and exploring, while also getting the chance to kill things along the way:)
So my questions.....
1) Do you think 13 year old is too young for these RPG games?
2) What games would you recommend? I would prefer more modern games to old school and certainly something that is not extremely hard....but at the same time, I don't want something that is too easy that won't challenge her. Not sure if games like Wasteland, Pillars, Grim Dawn, etc. would be possibilities or not...I actually own those, so I guess I could allow her to try them first, but would prefer to give her own copy of something so "she can learn to play it on her own".
Thoughts?
1) I don't think she's too young for more challenging RPG games if you feel she would be ready for them...
2) that said, the RPG's you mentioned I don't really think are content suitable for a 13 yr old. Not really what modern RPG's there are that would be more suitable but if you go back to the Ultima / Wizardry / Might and Magic era of games I'm sure there would be enough challenge while cutting down on the blood and other more adult themes.
In all honesty getting some of the ported SNES and PS2 era RPG's might be your best bet (FFVI, Grandia 2 come to mind that were both recently released).
Good points on content although she loves killing zombies:)
I just started Kingdom Of Amalur: Reckoning on the PS 3. It's very representative of what I see my daughter playing on Skyrim. You wander around, collecting plants for potions, killing random monsters and gaining experience, complete quests, side quests, faction quests, et al and there always seems like something to be doing. I haven't met anything overtly sexual or graphically bloody. And I really think it gives a good view of what a pen & paper RPG can be. And my daughter is now 22, but she's been playing those types of games since Morrowind with her brother when she was around 13 or so.
A girl of thirteen is probably smarter than most adults, and has the extra advantage of not having lost millions of brain cells to years of alcohol abuse. The only real difference is that she won't make the same distinctions an adult will because of her lack of experience, and her perceptions and judgement will be a bit off for the next ten years or so for physiological reasons (change in brain size and hormonal bombardment). Throw children's age-appropriate material at her and she'll dumb down and/or get bored and under-perform. Throw adult material at her and she just may surprise you. She's also probably a quicker learner than you are because she's used to everything being new to her. The key factor is going to be whether something interests her or not, and that's a question of personal taste. I'm often surprised by what interests my significant other (that's probably why we're still together), and the inner functioning of a woman's mind is probably something that a man will never understand. Extrapolating back from an adult woman's mind to a young adolescent's is a pretty mind-boggling exercise. I'm still scratching my head over my sister's interest in horse books.
Having said that, while the Steam sale is still on you can pick up Chains of Satinav and Memoria for next to nothing. If you don't know them, these are adventure games set in the Dark Eye universe and are really the first and second parts of an extended fairy tale about a bird-catcher. The story is quite good and the ending left me in tears. It will also give you an opening for a very interesting discussion about life, values, and the meaning of love because when he has completed the quest the main character gets to choose the ending (a bit like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight).
If she like Chains of Satinav and Memoria she can continue to explore the world of the Dark Eye with the Drakensang games, the Realms of Arkania games, and the Blackguards games (the main character in Blackguards 2 is a very interesting woman, but you really shouldn't play it first or you'll miss what's going really going on). All of these games are on Steam.
If you aren't familiar with it, the Dark Eye universe has been around and evolving for about thirty years, and is essentially Germany's answer to Dungeons and Dragons. The three sets of computer games that I mentioned all use different variations of the pen and paper rules. What makes the Dark Eye universe stand out is the incredibly deep backstory, and if you ever happen to play one of the Drakensang games you'll realize that the people who designed it really know what a medieval/early renaissance city is supposed to look like (probably because if you drive around in southern Germany you can occasionally find some that still resemble their older selves).
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (http://store.steampowered.com/app/251150/)
This is not necessarily a game but it let's your daughter build one: http://store.steampowered.com/app/220700/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/220700/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1)
I got this for my 14 year old daughter last year and she loves it. It allows her to unleash the creativity that all early teens are filled with.
Quote from: KyzBP on January 03, 2016, 01:01:32 PM
This is not necessarily a game but it let's your daughter build one: http://store.steampowered.com/app/220700/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1 (http://store.steampowered.com/app/220700/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1)
I got this for my 14 year old daughter last year and she loves it. It allows her to unleash the creativity that all early teens are filled with.
Interesting idea...
Tier 2 or 3 of this bundle is a good way to get RPG Maker VX Ace and some of the DLC: https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/ultimate-game-makers-bundle
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 03, 2016, 11:43:40 AM
Good points on content although she loves killing zombies:)
If she loves killing zombie(ish things) in Minecraft, she ought to take to
7 Days to Die like cake. But it isn't really an RPG.
Skyrim, meanwhile, has practically no objectionable content (no cursing really, no sex or nudity, blood is kind of minimal). And is definitely an RPG. The vanilla version is super-deep and going cheap during the final days of the winter sale; add the DLC for almost nothing (but especially the homebuilding DLC).
Edited to add: the vanilla game does allow you to marry any species or gender (and same genders will occasionally make passes at you), but if that's a problem you could consider it training with how to deal with that in real life. No storyline seems to require it. Even with marriage nothing actually happens other than some companion bonuses.
Also come to think of it, several of the Daedra sidemissions can get ethically pretty dark. But you don't have to do them, even if you inadvertently start one.
I strongly recommend Darklands!, by Microprose. It's an old game, but one that my own daughter played to completion twice at that age.
Very little blood and gore, and with a religion-based magic system. No real downsides to the game, and it is now on GoG, and comes pre-loaded into DosBox. Runs great.
Quote from: DennisS on January 03, 2016, 02:54:21 PM
I strongly recommend Darklands!, by Microprose. It's an old game, but one that my own daughter played to completion twice at that age.
Very little blood and gore, and with a religion-based magic system. No real downsides to the game, and it is now on GoG, and comes pre-loaded into DosBox. Runs great.
Darklands is a classic but I doubt a modern teenager is going to adapt to the graphics and interface. Maybe someday someone will do a proper remake.
Will likely depend on preference of setting more than anything.
In my experience, boys in their early teens get into 1st or 3rd-person RPGs more than old school isometric style RPGs. To start, anyway.
Obviously the Bethesda range, such as Skyrim and the newer Fallouts, fit this description. For something more action oriented, the Borderlands series has been popular. However, being a girl could mean that she would pay attention to storylines more than teenage boys, who tend to just click through such things, so the more action-focused stuff may not be highest on the list. So, yeah, Skyrim is probably a good middle ground.
After getting acquainted with the genre, titles with more cohesive stories, such as the original Dragon Age or Pillars Of Eternity, could slide into the burgeoning RPG library. Also some of the inventory-heavy survival titles which are everywhere these days.
As a starter alternative with little in the way of learning curve, there are also simple rogue-ish RPGs such as Cardinal Quest 2. No real story but it has the RPG basics and the inventory management & character customization is heavily pared down for faster play and less inventory management.
Agree with the above posters on Skyrim and Fallout games. The original Fallout 1 & 2 may be good for a 13 year old as well.
I think it boils down to what her tastes are...does she like exploration, crafting or combat more?
Quote from: Gusington on January 03, 2016, 04:00:59 PM
Agree with the above posters on Skyrim and Fallout games. The original Fallout 1 & 2 may be good for a 13 year old as well.
I think it boils down to what her tastes are...does she like exploration, crafting or combat more?
I still dig Fallout 2 but after playing it a couple months ago, the UI can be rather fiddly and sluggish at modern screen resolutions. Not an easy one to start with IMO.
What about the Bioware classics? KotoR or the Baldur's Gate series (or Icewind Dale for that matter? All 13-year-old girls love Drizzt. :D )
KoTOR I think would be perfect.
The original mass effect maybe?
What about early Divine Divinity games?
Maybe Mount and Blade Warband? Not a traditional RPG, but if she's into minecraft it might be a not bad direction to go.
Thanks everybody, I am leaning more towards and RPG where she can just easily play with mouse/keyboard, more like the style of Pillars, Wasteland, etc....kind of where you just click around and such. I don't think she would do well with any game that will test her reflexes in combat and such:) Skyrim, Fallout 4, Witcher, etc probably would be too big for her, but maybe not. Will have to take a look at some of the other suggestions since not familiar with them.
If she loves killing zombies in Minecraft, I can't believe she'd have much trouble with Skyrim. (I imagine Fallout 4 and definitely the Witcher series would be too 'mature' for a 13-yo.)
Bioware's pausible action RPG tactical games, though, don't have to worry about reflexes at all, really (other than the pause reflex). Plus she can mock you/us for just how whack old D&D games used to be! :2funny:
Baldurs Gate on www.gog.com Cheap, classic, looks good on a modern PC, has an interesting story line.
In terms of maturity, what bothers you? Sex? Drugs? Religion? Violence (well - that one leaves out all RPGs).
Fallout has drugs, sex, prostitution, weird religious cults, gambling, etc...... This goes all the way back to Fallout 1.
Wasteland - even worse.
As a start, Baldur's Gate. Interesting story line. Really interesting characters (Minsc is one of the classic characters of all time). It also looks good on modern PCs and is moderately complicated. Lots of good guides out there if she decides to become a power gamer.
Also, as far as story based rpgs go you can't go wrong with planescape torment although some of the themes there are decidedly mature.
I'm just gonna re-emphasize something that looks good and isn't too old for a first.
Less likely to turn their nose up if it doesn't look & interface like some rickety thing their grandfather played back in the day, after walking uphill both ways to school.
Kids these days! That's how it is with first digital impressions.
Quote from: airboy on January 04, 2016, 02:12:05 PM
Baldurs Gate on www.gog.com Cheap, classic, looks good on a modern PC, has an interesting story line.
In terms of maturity, what bothers you? Sex? Drugs? Religion? Violence (well - that one leaves out all RPGs).
Fallout has drugs, sex, prostitution, weird religious cults, gambling, etc...... This goes all the way back to Fallout 1.
Wasteland - even worse.
As a start, Baldur's Gate. Interesting story line. Really interesting characters (Minsc is one of the classic characters of all time). It also looks good on modern PCs and is moderately complicated. Lots of good guides out there if she decides to become a power gamer.
Prefer to stay away from drugs and sex...not as worried about violence since she knows it is all fake......
Quote from: Nefaro on January 04, 2016, 05:37:45 PM
I'm just gonna re-emphasize something that looks good and isn't too old for a first.
Less likely to turn their nose up if it doesn't look & interface like some rickety thing their grandfather played back in the day, after walking uphill both ways to school.
Kids these days! That's how it is with first digital impressions.
However if they cut their teeth gaming with Minecraft then something old might be better before their primitive minds are corrupted by realistic graphics not realizing the shit game underneath ;)
Or take the reverse route - have her play Pong for 8 hours then show her one of the Bioware RPG's ;D
Quote from: tgb on January 03, 2016, 03:30:07 PM
Quote from: DennisS on January 03, 2016, 02:54:21 PM
I strongly recommend Darklands!, by Microprose. It's an old game, but one that my own daughter played to completion twice at that age.
Very little blood and gore, and with a religion-based magic system. No real downsides to the game, and it is now on GoG, and comes pre-loaded into DosBox. Runs great.
Darklands is a classic but I doubt a modern teenager is going to adapt to the graphics and interface. Maybe someday someone will do a proper remake.
It's never too soon for a young gamer to be introduced to the fundamental notion that gameplay > fluff and graphics.
An old slow & clunky UI can send them packing quick.
I'm not promoting the newest & shiniest 3D stuff on the block. Just something that isn't so old that it's a pain to learn & play. Game design has come a long way in the past decade regarding UI & usability. I've seen kids wrinkle their nose at old stuff, and not necessarily due to the graphics sophistication.
For a kid's first RPG, I'd suggest having:
1) A decent & intuitive UI
2) Passable but engaging Tutorial that eases them into the learning curve without ending up like reading a whole manual on-screen.
3) Doesn't look like it was created in 1991. While the "retro" graphics look is the fad these days, almost none of them actually look like the really low-res, low-color, low-memory stuff from back then; they're much more crisp & distinctive. Choose the new, they can see the difference too.
One of the big surprises in Pillars of Eternity for me was the very explicit language at times. It doesn't offend me but I didn't expect to be hit with the F-word, the S-word and some others. Elminister would never talk like that.
I will throw a curveball out there and recommend a unique gem that is regularly overlooked - Wizardry 8. It is an old school RPG, ie no hand holding, set in an open, massive world. It has one of the best character creation/development and combat systems, if not the best, for a RPG, imo. The story is complex and involved. It still holds up ok, the UI is good though the graphics are a little dated. More importantly, it is young person friendly, something Fallout/Wasteland definitely are not!
As always, Skyrim is clearly the winner.
Looks good (even in unmodded vanilla)? Check.
Modern (console-friendly) UI? Check.
Actually an RPG? Check.
Can have a female protagonist (even designed to look like a young/mid-teen girl)? Check.
Not much blood in the violence? Check.
Not smutty? Check.
Language pretty safe? Check.
Plenty to do and see without being unmanageably huge? Check.
No more difficult than fighting zombies in Minecraft? Probably check.
Therefore, in conclusion, I would like to say: Skyrim. O0 :smitten:
However, it occurs to me while writing that list that I know another game:
Looks good (even in unmodded vanilla)? Check. (Admittedly not as good as Skyrim, but still good.)
Modern UI? Check. (Admittedly not console-ish, and maybe a little more immediately complicated.)
Actually an RPG? Check.
Can have a female protagonist (even designed to look like a young/mid-teen girl)? Check.
Not much blood in the violence? Check.
Not smutty? Check. (Even less so than Skyrim.)
Language pretty safe? Check. (Even moreso than Skyrim.)
Plenty to do and see without being unmanageably huge? Check. (Well, it's vastly much larger than Skyrim, which makes the quests often more generic.)
No more difficult than fighting zombies in Minecraft? Probably check.
COMPLETELY FREE TO PLAY (at least for a while, theoretically forever if you want to put the time in to do all the quests to unlock more quests, assuming you don't want to spend real money for artistic bling on your character)? Check, check, checkedy check.
Based on the book(s) voted Novel of the 20th Century and of the 2nd Millennium? Check!
You can team up with her from another computer? Check! And so can her friends and other family if anyone wants.
I am of course referring to: Lord of the Rings Online
How about Driftmoon www.gog.com/game/driftmoon
Quote from: JasonPratt on January 05, 2016, 02:41:22 PM
As always, Skyrim is clearly the winner.
Looks good (even in unmodded vanilla)? Check.
Modern (console-friendly) UI? Check.
Actually an RPG? Check.
Can have a female protagonist (even designed to look like a young/mid-teen girl)? Check.
Not much blood in the violence? Check.
Not smutty? Check.
Language pretty safe? Check.
Plenty to do and see without being unmanageably huge? Check.
No more difficult than fighting zombies in Minecraft? Probably check.
Therefore, in conclusion, I would like to say: Skyrim. O0 :smitten:
Agree with Jason for all of the same reasons if you are looking at more of an FPS type of RPG. If you want a party based RPG, then Baldur's Gate.
And isn't the whole point to Enhanced Balder's Gate (and Enhanced Icewind for that matter) to earn money off our nostalgia? ...I mean to be able to run a slightly better looking patched game with some questionably buggy and/or broken enhancements? ...I mean to look great on modern computers?
:D
Worth noting: the games can be played co-op by multiplay LAN! (In fact, playing co-op multi-player except single-player is a perfectly functional way to design not only the main player character but to design and play a whole party, leaving one slot over for plot-important characters perhaps.)
Hey all,
If the girl can cope with a bit of retro-ish graphics and is a bit in to the whole Jap-thing I would strongly suggest Amanda Fae's (Amaranth Games) rpg's:
http://aveyond.com/?post_type=games&game_developer=amaranth-games
She also runs a nice community for mostly young people trying to get some interest in game design going as well:
http://aveyond.com/forums/
best wishes,
Vic
Quote from: JasonPratt on January 05, 2016, 09:43:26 PM
And isn't the whole point to Enhanced Balder's Gate (and Enhanced Icewind for that matter) to earn money off our nostalgia? ...I mean to be able to run a slightly better looking patched game with some questionably buggy and/or broken enhancements? ...I mean to look great on modern computers?
:D
Worth noting: the games can be played co-op by multiplay LAN! (In fact, playing co-op multi-player except single-player is a perfectly functional way to design not only the main player character but to design and play a whole party, leaving one slot over for plot-important characters perhaps.)
I'm not recommending Enhanced Balder's Gate, but the original.
Balder's Gate and Icewind Dale both run great on modern systems. I completed Icewind Dale again about 3 years ago. I've been considering replaying Balder's Gate again. They have held up very well since they have turn-based combat.
This is not to besmirch Skyrim. An excellent fantasy single-player perspective RPG.
I'm going to suggest Mass Effect. It has an 'M' rating, but I'd consider it PG-13. It's fairly modern, has a sci-fi setting and the main character can be played as a female. It is RPG 'lite' - moderate character management, minimal equipment customization, an almost FPS combat system. Still, it has an epic, immersive story and is a fun play. Plus if she likes it there's two more games in the series and the character can be carried over.
My daughter LOVED\LOVES the Dragon Quest games on the DS. On the PC I know she used to play Skyrim.
Thanks again for all the suggestions...still looking up all the recommendations with the daughter....but this has been a very good list of items.
The problem with this type of thread is that it gives a bunch of old geezers a chance to sound off about what games they like.
But we haven't really heard enough about what she likes to be able to tailor suggestions in any meaningful way.
It would be useful to know if her tastes run to something like the Settlers of Catan (mine certainly don't). Another thing to suggest (while we're shooting blind) might be the Guild II.